engleski

Croatian University Students' Use and Perception of Electronic Resources

Electronic resources are increasingly becoming essential in students' learning primarily due to their availability and ease of access over the Internet. Higher education institutions have to understand the Internet information-seeking behaviors of students and how they perceive electronic resources in order to effectively fulfill their mission of equipping students with relevant and contemporary knowledge and skills. The influence of four background variables (gender, level of study, enrollment status, and field of study) was examined in the analysis of data from 900 students at one Croatian university. The results show that students mostly use Wikipedia and similar online resources, as well as university websites, including websites of university libraries. The level and field of study are strong predictors of differences in the frequency of use of certain Internet sources. Factor analysis revealed four factors: tendency to use, advantages of using, incentives and reasons for using, and prerequisites for using electronic resources. These factors represent the underlying constructs by which students' perceptions of electronic resources can be classified. The findings further indicate that students only slightly prefer electronic over printed resources, although they highly value the benefits of the use of electronic formats. In addition, it has been revealed that students believe that they are well equipped and possess competencies for the effective use of electronic resources. Differences based on the factors have been largely confirmed with regard to gender and field of study, but not to the level of study and enrollment status. This study extends findings from previous research by placing emphasis on examining the differences, especially at the latent level, between certain groups of students.

electronic resources ; information-seeking behavior ; Internet sources ; underlying factors ; Croatian university students

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